Southern Illinois University Edwardsville annually honors eight remarkable graduates at its Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony. The College of Arts and Sciences had the pleasure of recognizing not one, but two impressive alumni during the ceremony Friday, Sept. 28 in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom.

On this week’s Segue, co-host Greg Budzban, PhD, CAS dean, interviews Roderick Nunn, DM, one of the College’s newest Hall of Fame inductees. Nunn graduated with a bachelor of music degree with a specialization in jazz performance in 1993. The second CAS inductee was the Honorable David R. Herndon, BA Government ’74, judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

This Segue episode featuring Budzban and Nunn will air at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14, on WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound.

Nunn serves as executive vice president and head of education and employment for the St. Louis-based Concordance Academy of Leadership, a national organization leading the way in reducing recidivism for formally incarcerated citizens. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the doctor of management program at the University of Maryland University College.

“One of the first questions I always ask our guests is how SIUE fit into their life’s journey,” Budzban says. “What initially brought you to SIUE?”

“SIUE was an affordable, quality and convenient option for me,” Nunn says. “While in high school at East St. Louis Lincoln, I asked my parents if I could take private lessons from Brett Stamps, the former director of the jazz studies program. This all led me to joining the program myself.”

“Your academic path really took a turn from how your career ultimately ended up,” Budzban mentions. “How did your activities as a student eventually direct you in a particular way?”

“Some of my professional prospects fell through in New York and Los Angeles, and I decided I didn’t want to perform or teach as a career anymore,” Nunn says. “ I needed to broaden my horizons, so I headed over to what’s now the Kimmel Student Involvement Center, joined the student senate and pledged in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

“I now had all these opportunities to lead and caught this leadership bug! It’s stuck with me ever since.”

Upon his graduation in 1993, he immediately moved to the Illinois state capitol in Springfield. He soon enrolled in a master’s degree program in public administration at the University of Illinois Springfield. Later on, he received a doctor of management in community college policy at the University of Maryland University College.

Nunn’s illustrious career also includes serving three Governors in both Illinois and Missouri. As Missouri’s state workforce director, he oversaw more than 1,000 professionals charged with providing job placement and training to Missourians. He was then appointed Missouri’s director of education and workforce innovation, leading the state’s P-20 education and STEM initiatives.

He went on to serve as president of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Under his leadership, the college won several national, state and local awards for excellence and innovation in workforce development.

“Your background in music was something that created value for you,” Budzban says. “How did it do that?”

“I hadn’t considered it until I was 15 or so years into my career when people began asking me how I was such a gifted collaborator,” Nunn recalled. “I was a trombonist, and every musician knows that your individual sound blends into the overall sound of the band. I have always been a member of ensembles or worked a part of a larger team, but I have stood out as a first chair trombonist or a leader.

“I was responsible for leading other musicians. In jazz ensembles, I was often called upon to improvise and be an innovator in the moment. It comes from years of experience, knowledge of that instrument and being efficient in your craft. Commitment and dedication are other gifts that music gave me!”

To hear the entire conversation between Budzban and Nunn, which features more on workforce development, the alum’s experience at St. Louis Community College, and his current position at Concordance Academy of Leadership, tune in to this week’s Segue.